Gavin and Stacey cliffhangers that need answering in the final episode

All you need to know ahead of the beloved BBC comedy show's final outing

Gavin and Stacey is returning on Christmas Day. (BBC/GS TV Productions Ltd/Tom Jackson)
Gavin and Stacey is returning on Christmas Day. (BBC/GS TV Productions Ltd/Tom Jackson)

Gavin and Stacey is being revived for one last outing, with the feature-length special due to air on Christmas Day 2024.

Creators James Corden and Ruth Jones were last seen playing their lovable alter egos Smithy and Nessa in the 2019 Christmas special, which aired almost 10 years after the show’s initial conclusion.

With the BBC sitcom ending on an almighty romantic cliffhanger, fans have since longed for answers, and now their wish has finally been granted. There's a lot to think about, so let's dive in as we refresh your memory and ponder what will happen next on Gavin and Stacey.

Mathew Horne and Joanna Page as the title characters of Gavin & Stacey. (BBC)
Mathew Horne and Joanna Page as the title characters of Gavin & Stacey. (BBC)

The first season of Gavin & Stacey saw characters Gavin Shipman (Mathew Horne) and Stacey West (Joanna Page) having a whirlwind romance, with the pair eventually marrying and settling down in Gavin’s home in Billericay, Essex, until Stacey’s homesickness for Barry Island, Wales, caused tension.

Eventually, Gavin agreed to a trial move to Barry, and after undergoing fertility tests in a particularly moving storyline, Gavin and Stacey fell pregnant.

Amid the pair’s love story were their best pals, Nessa and Smithy, who hated each other yet shared multiple passionate flings. One such encounter resulted in the birth of Neil ‘The Baby’ (played by Oscar Hartland).

Gavin & Stacey (BBC)
James Corden and Ruth Jones as Smithy and Nessa in Gavin & Stacey. (BBC)

Eccentric family members completed the main character group, including Gavin’s happily married parents, fusspot Pam (Alison Steadman) and laidback Mick (Larry Lamb); Stacey’s omelette-obsessed mum Gwen (Melanie Walters) and quirky Uncle Bryn (Rob Brydon), who harboured a mysterious dark secret with his nephew, Stacey’s brother Jason (Robert Wilfort).

Gavin and Stacey has delivered many memorable, relatable moments, including an iconic rant from Smithy about takeaway etiquette.

Following Gavin and Stacey’s 2010 New Year finale, which saw Smithy derail Nessa’s wedding to Dave ‘Coaches’ (Steffan Rhodri), by 2019 the pair were more like best friends as they contently co-parented Neil, still humorously referred to as ‘The Baby’ despite his age.

Meanwhile, as they now had three children and life was more chaotic than ever, Stacey became concerned that her marriage to Gavin had grown stale.

After reminiscing about their history, they relit their spark and the drama moved onto Bryn and Jason, who came closer than ever before to revealing what on earth had happened between them on that famous fishing trip.

Seconds before the truth could emerge, however, everyone else was relieved when they were interrupted by the kids.

Read more: Everything we know about the final episode of Gavin & Stacey

Smithy had continued to casually sleep with Nessa, until beginning a relationship with the snobby Sonia (Laura Aikman). The extended clan were unimpressed when Sonia belittled Smithy over his weight during her festive visit. Despite reservations from Gavin, Smithy was preparing to propose to his girlfriend.

But when Sonia drove away, Nessa declared her love for Smithy in a heartfelt moment, before getting down on one knee and popping the question. That’s where Gavin and Stacey ended — until now. So what are we hoping to see from the final ever instalment?

Nessa, wearing antlers, stands next to Smithy, wearing a Santa hat, who leans an arm on her shoulder. (BBC/GS TV Productions Ltd/Tom Jackson)
Will Smithy accept Nessa's proposal? (BBC/GS TV Productions Ltd/Tom Jackson)

While we’ll have to wait to hear exactly what the premise will be for this brand new episode, we need an uplifting answer to that major Nessa and Smithy cliffhanger.

The pair’s cemented bond was one of the highlights of Gavin and Stacey’s most recent revival, but will the show pick up immediately where it left off, with Smithy about to reply to Nessa’s proposal, or are we meeting them in real time, five years on?

Either way, has Smithy come to the realisation that he’s in love with Nessa, or not? Whatever direction their story goes in, hopefully he’s parted ways with Sonia, who was all wrong for him.

Given that this is our last chance to find out the big secret of the series, too, will Bryn and Jason open up about what they’ve been hiding all this time? And is the truth as dark as has been hinted in the past?

It’s been a running gag since Gavin and Stacey’s origin, responsible for shifting the atmosphere to uneasy within seconds.

Of course, all we really know is that the pair were stuck in freezing weather conditions while fishing together; whatever they did was “legal in Wales,” and apparently also “defied the laws of gravity”.

The episode synopsis teases: “Join us on the journey to Barry and Billericay as we catch up with the Shipmans and the Wests for the very last time and maybe find out what exactly did happen on that fishing trip.”

It’s anyone’s guess where Corden and Jones will go with this particular narrative, but we’d be surprised if Bryn and Jason aren’t seen making some kind of definitive admission, finally solving Gavin and Stacey's long-running mystery.

Gavin & Stacey: The Finale will air on 25 December on BBC One and iPlayer